Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Current Comics Report for 10/19

This is a report about what I think about the comics of this week, based upon Diamond's Shipping This Week list, as reprinted below, with my (sometimes quite snarky, so be forewarned) comments.

This week, there is guest commentary by my pal, Stony, as well as some cameo commentary from last week's guest analyst, Comic Should Be Good's own, Tadhg (who posted an entry here the other day! Woohoo!!)

Certain sections of the Current Report on the 10/19 Comic Book Week contain forward-looking statements that are based on my expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. Words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate” and variations of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which include but are not limited to projections of books being good, writing performance, character flaws, artistic coolness and continued title stability.

Forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Prognasticators Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future results and trends may differ materially from what is forecast in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation:

A book being better than I thought it would be;

A different creative team on a book;

A different type of story than I thought it was;

Differences in anticipated and actual performance by the writer and/or artist

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report or, in the case of any document incorporated by reference, the date of that document.All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to me are qualified by the cautionary statements in this section...

NOTE: S=Stony, T=Tadhg, B=Brian and if there is no letter before the sentence, then it is me, as well.

B: I am enjoying how Busiek is really setting up the tapestry of The Dark Age well.

S: I recently re-read the story with the Blue Knight from Local Heroes... Highest praise.

AUG050262 AUTHORITY REVOLUTION #12 (OF 12) (MR) $2.99

S:Oh God, no... Not after boring me to tears with the first 6 issues... I am still saddened by the praise this, very boring, comic is receiving

B: But are you pleased that it is at least ending?

T: I liked Revolution you fascist bastards

B: Is this the end of the Authority?

S: I dunno, I dropped it with #6

B: I liked Revolution.

B: But Nguyen's art freaks me out.

B: Why does everyone have lines over their faces?!?!?

B: How is THAT a "style"?!?

S: It was just so dull! I'm sorry but it just didn't live up to the zany madness of Ellis and Millar's run... It made the cardinal sin of actually making the Authority seriously consider the repercussions of their actions. Which is wrong.

S: There's just something about shoving a tyrant's face through a brick wall that has more oomph to it than Midnighter and Jack sitting around talking about the rights and wrongs of what they're doing... while receiving oral attention from Apollo and the Engineer respectively

B: Well, fool, you are missing out on one of the best Authority fights in awhile.

S: I remember when I was modding the CBR Marvel board, there was a great deal of discussion about this,... A lot of the newer Punisher fans that came on with Ennis berated this because Punisher had white gloves, but the classic Punisher fans welcomed this return to classics

B: People actually complained about the gloves?

B: Fools.

B: This story is awesome.

S: People complained about the gloves.

B: The art is good, as well.

B: David Lapham has created a really good Daredevil AND Punisher story, while actually incorporating the goofier aspects of their continuity.

B: He uses the JACKAL well!

S: The Jackyl, you say?

B: Yes, the Jackal!

B: Because, remember, the Jackal was the guy who hired Punisher in Punisher's first apperance!

S: There's an interesting thread on the new Ultimate board that Supreme Power, as well as being a new take on the Squadron Supreme... Is supposed to be Marvel's attempt at underscoring an All-Star Justice League. Comments?

B: I disagree.

B: I do not think that thought ever crossed JMS' mind.

B: Well

B: Maybe AFTERwards.

B: But not at the creation point in time.

S: It never crossed his mind that this new team holds... some... similarity to the JLA?

S: Not even at creation point?

B: Oh, yes, of course so.

B: I think it was his attempt to write the JLA.

B: Obviously.

B: But NOT, as you mention above, "underscoring an All-Star Justice League"

AUG051925 THOR BLOOD OATH #3 (OF 6) $2.99

S: Ultimate Thor title. Come on marvel, let's go already.

B: I really don't get how Oeming is still writing a Thor title.

AUG051890 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #24 $2.50

S: Apparently... and I've long accepted this even if you CBSGers haven't... Millar is the Man.

B: How is he "the man"?

S: He writes fun stories with great twists on classic characters that keep us interested without losing the eesence of what attracted us to those characters in the first place?

B: What? His last story was about Marvel Zombies!

S: what? where?

B: And you just got done talking about hating zombies!

S: Well yeah, but you don't expect to meet up with Zombies in a sci-fi title with other dimensions! It's a good twist! Even if it is... zombies

B: Bah.

B: If you want zombies with a good twist, read Walking Dead.

B: Then you will come running back to me with, "Wow, Brian! I was so wrong! How could I have been extolling the virtues of Millar when there was this other book that was so much better!"

S: You're just jealous that he's starting to outshine that other scots you like

B: The day Mark Millar outshines Grant Morrison will be a sad day indeed.

B: It will likely occur two months after Morrison's funeral.

S: Ah ha! There I have you! I haven't even been reading Ultimate Fan Four..... hmmmm.... that admission doesn't do wonders for my argument...

18 Comments:

"S: There's an interesting thread on the new Ultimate board that Supreme Power, as well as being a new take on the Squadron Supreme... Is supposed to be Marvel's attempt at underscoring an All-Star Justice League. Comments?"

T: The only saving graceT: Is that since [Captain Atom]'s in the WS universeT: They can't kill him off during CrisisI wouldn't be so sure. The tagline of this series is "The beginning of the end of the Wildstorm Universe" and that seems too much of a coincidence to be happening right now. And with a post-Crisis WildCATS revamp coming too, I wouldn't be surprised to see the WSU end here only to be officially made part of the DCU post-Crisis2, as Earth-W or somesuch.

Oh, and Pat Lee's got nothing to do with the new Transformers, as I recall.

B: Coming from the writer of the title, though, it sounds kinda whiny.

My problem with some of his first She-Hulk run as well. The critics of the story at the end and then She-Hulk's friend then coming down on them and explaining how "real fans" do stuff like No-Prizes conjured an image of Slott (I have no clue what the man looks like) on a throne waving a sceptre and screaming "Do not judge me!". Too bad, because I really like the rest of his writing (GLA was one of the best minis in ages)

I wouldn't be so sure. The tagline of this series is "The beginning of the end of the Wildstorm Universe" and that seems too much of a coincidence to be happening right now. And with a post-Crisis WildCATS revamp coming too, I wouldn't be surprised to see the WSU end here only to be officially made part of the DCU post-Crisis2, as Earth-W or somesuch.

What? DC buying a company, stripmining them off all interesting characters, merging said characters into its main universe, noticing that said characters don't really work in those new settings most of the time, making them play 2nd fiddle to the already existing characters in said setting for over a decade and then killing them off for dramatic purposes in another big event? Never!

conjured an image of Slott (I have no clue what the man looks like) on a throne waving a sceptre and screaming "Do not judge me!"

Except that Slott isn't saying "Don't judge me!" He's just suggesting that readers not be so anal retentive about continuity and enjoy the book on its merits. I fail to see how this could be a controversial sentiment.